Intensification of disputes between Hungary and the European Union over the release of blocked currencies

According to the report of the international group Tasnim news agency, “An In an article, TV discussed the disputes between Hungary and the European Union over the blocked money of this country and wrote: “Victor Orban”, the Prime Minister of Hungary, has recently threatened the European Union with two veto rights. On the one hand, he wants to vote against the start of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine at the summit of European countries in mid-December. On the other hand, Hungary prevents the release of a 50 billion euro aid package to Kyiv, for which the European Council needs a green light, including this country.

However, the EU Commission recently advised member states to release 900 million euros of frozen funds from the RePowerEU corona economic stimulus program for Hungary. But that’s not all.

In recent weeks, the European Union Commission and Budapest have been in intensive discussions about whether Hungary should have access to a total of 13 billion euros from the EU Cohesion Fund. have, have had European Union diplomats believe that Orban’s blockade position towards Ukraine is based on a plan to release funds withheld by the Commission.

European Union accused of widespread corruption And Orban’s campaign against the rule of law in Hungary has blocked several sources of funding for the country, including 28 billion euros worth of corona aid for Budapest and 22 billion euros from the Cohesion Fund. The European Union budget money was also reduced by another 6.3 billion in December last year.

The European Commission has announced that it wants to release the majority of this money only when Hungary proves which fights corruption through reforms and restoration of the rule of law. But the situation is different for the 900 million RePowerEU program. It is a type of pre-financing that is not subject to any conditions.

The spokesperson of the European Commission emphasized that the positive decision regarding these Hungarian programs is not a concession to Orban. The European Commission has announced that, unlike other payments, the advance payments of this program cannot be linked to reforms.

However, the clear prerequisite for releasing 13 billion euros It is from the Cohesion Fund that Hungary rebuilds an independent judicial system. Orban believes that his country has met all the conditions. Therefore, he requested the payment of these funds in July. Since then, there has been an exchange of tense letters between the Commission and Budapest. The European Commission has already sent a questionnaire to Hungary to investigate the rule of law there. Officially, the decision on the payment of these funds is still pending.

Orban chose the time to send this request to the commission, probably not by chance. He already knew in the summer that there were important decisions about Ukraine in the fall that he could use to put pressure on the EU. Officially, he keeps finding new justifications for his blockade position.

First, he declared that the Hungarian minority in the Transcarpathian region of western Ukraine was oppressed and oppressed, because he knew very well that the protection of minorities is an important condition for joining the European Union. Among other things, he criticized the law of education of Ukraine, which was approved in 2017. Until then, minorities could attend school in their own language until the end of high school. Now lessons in Ukrainian are compulsory from the 5th grade onwards. Public efforts to strengthen the Ukrainian language as a national language are a thorn in Orban’s side. The area has visited, Orban’s argument is a showcase. Kramon Taubadel admitted: Of course, there is still room for improvement in this regard in Ukraine. However, it is clear to them that “Orban does not care about the Hungarian minorities in Ukraine, he only uses them as a tool to put pressure on the European Union.

Of course, Orban does not only refer to the support of minorities. Orban wrote in a letter to “Charles Michel”, the president of the European Union Council, which was also distributed to the member states a few days ago, until he discussed the strategy to deal with Ukraine. Without consensus, decisions cannot be made on additional financial support, security guarantees or the EU’s enlargement process. Orban is asking his EU counterparts to ask themselves whether the EU’s strategic goal of winning Ukraine with the changes political in Russia can still be considered realistic. He also asks what kind of security architecture is conceivable in post-war Europe and how Ukraine’s desire to join the EU can be reconciled with political and economic realities.

This report continues: Some EU diplomats acknowledged that “Orban raised valid and important questions in this letter. However, his recent meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has fueled suspicions that he is acting under Russian influence and has been forced to release blocked EU funds.

Monika Hallmayer, head of the European Parliament’s budget control committee, has a similar opinion. This Christian Social Party politician says: All discussions about the blocked budgets for Hungary should be seen from the point of view that the Orbán government links the release of these funds to Hungary’s consent to an unrelated issue at the EU level. Now we can talk about a practical tactic. He asked the member states to defend the principles and foundations of the European Union, including against Orban. He emphasized: “The fact that authoritarian methods are tolerated is currently creating knock-on effects that damage the power of the European Union at home and abroad.” It is believed that the Commission’s recommendation to pay H900 million from the RePowerEU program sends the wrong signal. He says: Any release of funds without sustainable developments in Hungary in the fields of judicial independence, rule of law standards and compliance with the basic rules of the internal market can only be described as fatal and dire. He emphasized: Billions more from the Cohesion Fund should not be released under any circumstances because Hungary has not done anything to restore the rule of law.

In addition, Orban It creates increasing anti-Brussels sentiments in its own country. His government has launched a populist poll aimed at “protecting” Hungary from EU policies. Of course, its results are not legally binding. However, Orban hopes that Hungarian responses to the survey will support his policies.

The Hungarian government has also put up posters across Hungary featuring Ursula von In line, he humiliated the head of the European Union Commission.

According to such actions, Katarina Barelli, the vice president of the European Parliament, expects that the European Union Commission will be strict with Orban. to stay He said in an interview: “Orban dances on our noses.” According to him, at home in Hungary he openly attacks Ursula von der Leyen and the European Union in general and incites sentiments against Ukraine and in support of Russia. At the same time, he is trying to free up the budget in Brussels and should not be rewarded for this. Taking a clear stance is more important than ever, especially given the shift to the right that we are unfortunately experiencing in the European Union.

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